Lubricating system



Qct. 4, 1927.

`E. F'. PlERCE LUBRICATING SYSTEM Filed July 30. 1923 Patented` Oct. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARL F. PIERCE, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BASSICK MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LUBRICATING SYSTEM.

Application filed July 30, 1923.

My invention relates to improvements in lubricating systems. and is particularly conce1-ned with, though not limited to, that type of lubricating system comprising a plurality of nipples or fittings which are secured to the bearings of a. mechanism to be lubricated. and a compressor having a discharge conduit adapted to be successively brought into sealed relation with each of the fittings or nipples under pressure into the fittings or nipples after such a sealed relation has been effected.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a lubricating system comprising a mechanism having a bearing to be lubricated and a movable clement, a portable compressor embodying an element adapted to be placed under tension` and a discharge conduit for applying lubricant to the bearing and further including means adapted to be brought into operative relation with the moving element for the purpose of placing the tension element under tension, and means actuated by the tension element for forcing lubricant under pressure into the bearing.

Another object of my invention is to provide a compressor comprising a tension element and means whereby said tension element may be placed under tension by bringing a portion of`the compressor into driving relation with a portion of the machine to be lubricated or some other moving element, and comprising' other means for making use of the tension of said element for exerting pressure on lubricant to be supplied to a bearing.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a construction of the character described in which the tension element is composed of a compressible Huid.

Another object of my invention is to provide a systeni of the character described which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and easy to operate.

Other objects of my invention will appear as this description progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through a compressor embodying my invention, the discharge conduit of the compressor being illustrated as connected to a bearing which is to be lubricated;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a portion of and comprising means foil forcing lubricant Serial No. 654,685.

my improved compressor illustrating the manner in which it is attached to a moving element of a mechanism to enable the tension member to be placed under tension; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modified form of my invention.

Throughout the several views similar reference characters will be used for referring to similar parts.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a barrel 5 which is provided with an elongated cap 6 secured' to the barrel by means of the screwthreaded connection 7. The cap and the enclosed end of the barrel are provided with the outwardly extending aligned nipples 8 and 9, respectively. A tube 10, forming a high pressure cylinder, has its one end 10 threaded into the nipple 8 of the cap and its other end is slidably received in the nipple 9 extending outwardly from the closed end of the barrel. This high pressure cylinder is provided with a plurality of discharge p orts 11 adjacent the closed end of the cap and. a plurality of inlet ports 12 adjacent the open end of the barrel 5.

An annular piston comprising the cup leather 13, the face plate 14 and the flange 15 of the elongated follower 16 surrounds the high pressure cylinder 10 and is slidably mounted thereon between the ports 11 and 12. The cup leather 13, the face plate 14 and the flange 15 may be secured together by means ofsuitable rivets 17, or in any otherdesired manner.

A helical compression spring 19 is confined between the inturned flange 20 of the follower 16 and the closed end 0f the barrel 5 in such manner that it tends to urge the follower and the piston attached thereto toward the discharge ports 11. A pair of longitudinallyr extending slots 21 are formed in the follower 1.6 for receiving the lugs 22 bent inwardly from the end of the com presser barrel so as to prevent the follower from being completely discharged from the compressor barrel, and .particularly when the cap is removed from the barrel. The end of the high pressure cylinder which is attached to the cap 6 is counter bored for some distance to provide a valve chamber 23 and a valve seat 24. A dish-shaped valve 25, preferably of leather or fibre, is adapted to seat against the valve seat 24. The movement of the valve 25 away from its seat is limited by the 'pin 26 which'extends into the valve chamber 23. The valve 25 is provided with aplurality of longitudinally extendingperipheral grooves 27 which permit the passage of lubricant whenathis valve is forced from its seat.

Slidably mounted `in the high pressure cylinder 10 is a plunger 23, the outer end ot' which extends outwardly beyond the end of the nipple 9 and is provided with an ant-ifriction ball or element 29. The outer end of the plunger 28 terminates in a head 3() and a compression spring 31 is confined between its head and the outer end of theI high pressure cylinder lO and tends to hold the plunger 28 in its outermost position. A.

vscrew 32 secured to the plunger operates in a, slot 33 in the wall of the high pressure cylinder and limits the outward movement of the plunger.

A pair of arms 34 is secured to the end of the compressor 5 and extends outwardly in substantially parallel spaced relation. The outer ends 'of these arms are each provided with a hook 35 which is adapted to be forced over and engaged with a shaft 36 of the mechanism to be lubricated. This shaft may be provided with a cam 37 which is adapted to be received between the arms 34 and to bear against the anti-friction element 29 carried by the outer end of' the plunger. A follower 33, slidably mounted upon the high pressure cylinder, is provided for urging the lubricant toward the inlet ports of the high pressure cylinder. f

The operation of the apparatus thus far .4 described is as follows:

40 it the piston comprising the cup leather 13,

To load the con'ipressor, the cap is unscrewed from the obarrel and carries with the face plate 14 and the flange 15, the elon- 'zgated follower' 16 and the high pressure cylinder. The ring 20 will then be held against the lugs 22 under the tension of the spring 19. The barrel is then filled with lubricant and the cap 6 replaced. rIhe hooks 34 can then be engaged with the shaft 36, whereupon, if the mechanism to be lubricated is set into motion, the shaft 36 will rotate and the cam 37 will cause the plunger 28v to freciprocate in the high pressure cylinder. AThe reciprocation of the plunger 28 .will draw lubricant from the barrel 5 through the ports 12 and discharge it past the valve`25 into the valve lchamber 23. Upon continued operation of the plunger 28, the lubricant will be forced into the chamber 40 formed by the cap and the piston, thereby forcing the piston and its follower toward the inlet ports 12 and lagainst the tension of the spring 19. Ultimately',` the piston will vbe forced to such position thattheinner chamber 40 through the action of the plunger .28,` irrespective of vwhether this plunger` continues to reciprocate or not. In this mannerrthe chamber 40 is filled with lubricantjzvh ishheld Aunder the pressure of the springt' 1 'y A ex'ible' discharge conduit 41. of well .knowngconstructiom is connectedto the nipbearingftl. ,LA second sleeve-47ris` swiveledupon ai pl/ug48 carried byi thefree end `of the dischargey conduit i 41E and is, connected withl the sleeve' 142 'byy fmeans of vthe screwsthreaded connection' 19u/*A valve sean-formed by-the metal washer 50"and"the leather washer 51, co-acts with the valve 52 to prevent the discharge of lubricant from the conduit 41 except when the valve' 52 is forced from its seat. This occurs only when the coupling member is connected with the nipple oi' fitting 45 and is effected by means of the' valve stem 53 which carries the valve 52 and the outer end of which rests against the washer 54 in the bottom of the cup leather 55. A compression spring 56, confined be- 9 tween the washer 50 and the washer 54, tends to urge the valve 52 to its closed position, and a second compression spring 57, confined between the valve 52 and a washer 58,-also tends to close the valve 52 and to hold the cup leather 59 in position to seal the joint between the inner end of the sleeve 42 and the plug 48. The valve coupling construction which I have. just described forms no part of my present linvention, eX` cept as 1t co-acts with the remaining elements of my invention described above.

It will be apparent that when the couphng member just described is detached from the fitting 45, the valve 52 will then be held closed under the tension of the sprlngs 56 and 57, thereby permitting the compressor to be actuated as described above forthe purpose of forcing lubricant under pressure into the chamber 40. lVheu this chamber has been filled, the operator can detach the hooks 35 from the shaft 36, whereupon the entire compressor becomes portable and may be carried about from place to place to permit the discharge con duit to be brought into sealed relation with the nipple or fittings which are to receive the lubricant. lVhen the coupling member of the compressor is connected with the. fitting, as .shown in Fig. 1, the tension of' the spring 19 will cause the piston to be forced toward the discharge ports 11, thereby forcing lubricant outwardly through these ports, the discharge conduit 41, the coupling member and into the fitting and bearing.

In order to prevent the too rapid discharge of lubricant from the compressor in the event the bearing to be lubricated offers' comparatively little resistance to the How of lubricant, the inlet ports 11 may be made small enough to offer an appreciable resistance to the passage of lubricant therethrough, or, if desired, these openings may be made large enough so t-hat they will not offer appreciable resistance to the passage of lubricant from the valve chamber 23 into the chamber 40, and some type of manually controlled valve can be placed in the discharge conduit 41 for limiting the quantity of lubricant discharged therethrough.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 I provide a compressor comprising the barrel 5 having the removablel cap 6 secured thereto by a threaded connection 7 A piston comprising the oppositely disposed cup leather 13 and the face plate 14 is slidably mounted in the barrel 5. The cup leathers and face plates are preferably secured -together by means of rivets 17.

The end of the cylinder 5 carries a high pressure cylinder 10 which terminates in a valve chamber 23 in which a valve' comprising a leather or libre disc 25 and a metal disc 25 is held in place by spring 26.

A plunger 28 is slidably mounted in the high pressure cylinder and extends outwardly beyond the end of the nipple 9 forming a part of the end of the barrel. The outer end of the plunger 1s provided with a head 30 which carries an anti-friction element 29. An intake passageway 60, formed in the plunger 28, terminates in a plurality of branch passageways 60. A plug 61 is screwed into the inner end of the plunger 28 and is provided with a bore 62 which constitutes a continuation of the passagewa y 60. A valve formed of a fibre or leather disc 63 and a metal follower disc 64 provides means forclosing the passageway 62 upon the inward movement of the plunger 28. To prevent this valve from dropping too far away from the inner end of the plunger 28, I prefer to provide it with a valve stem 65 which passes loosely through the bore 62 and terminates in the cross bar 66 which is loosely received in the counterbore 67 at the inner end of the plug 61.

A spring 68 is confinedv between the head 30 and the shoulder 69, the inner end of the spring being secured in an opening 70 in the nipple 9 and the outer end being secured in a similar opening 71 formed in the plunger so :is to limit the outward movement of the plunger and prevent it from dropping out of the compressor.

The end of the compressor barrel is provided with a pair of arms 34 similar to those described above in connection with the first embodiment of my invention.

I prefer to provide the end of the 00mpressor barrel with a safety valve comprising the body member 72 and the plug valve 73. The body member 72 is provided with a longitudinally extending passageway 74 with which the opening 75 in the valve plug can be brought into registry by turning the handle 76, which is connected with one end of the valve plug.

In the operation of the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 3, the valve just described is first opened to permit the air to be discharged from the space between the floating piston in the barrel and the head of the barrel, and the barrel 5 is then filled with lubricant in any desired manner. The cap 6 is then replaced and the hooks 34 eugaged over the shaft 36 of any suitable mechanism, and this shaft is then set into motion. The reciprocation of the plunger 28 will cause air to be forced into the chamber 77 between the oating piston and the end of the barrel and the pressure of this air will continue to increase as long as the plunger 28 is reciprocated. `If desired, a safety valve 78, of any suitable conventional construction can be inserted in the end of the barrel to limit the pressure developed in the chamber 77. When the pressure of the air in the chamber 77 has reached a sufficient degree, preferably 1,500 or 2,000 pounds per square inch, the hooks 35 can be disengaged from the shaft 36 and the compressor can then be used the same as the one previously described, it being, of course, understood that the compressor is provided with a discharge conduit 41 which terminates in a coupling similar to that described above. As the lubricant is forced from the compressor barrel by the expansion of the air contained therein, the pressure of the air will decrease, but if it is made sufficiently high at the beginning, there will be suicient pressure exerted upon the lubricant completely to discharge the contents of the barrel under comparatively high pressures. To again recharge the barrel, the valve having the handle 76 is moved to its open position to permit the air under pressure back of the floating piston to escape from the compressor barrel so as to permit the piston to be moved back and thus facilitate the filling or charging of the compressor barrel.

From the above description, it will be seen that I have provided a lubricating system comprising a mechanism having a bearing to be lubricated and a compressor for supplying lubricant to this bearing, the said compressor being portable and comprising an element adapted to be tensioned by the movement of a portion of the mechanism and means for utilizing the tension of this element for supplying lubricant under pressure to the bearino' ivan@ I have described the details 0f construction of the preferred embodiment ot' my invention, it is to be clearly understood that my invention is not limited to these details of construction, but is capable of other adaptations and modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim 1s:

1. The combination with a mechanism comprising a shaft, a cam on said shaft, and a bearing, of means for supplying lubricant to said bearing, comprising a fitting secured to said bearing, a compressor having a barrel provided at one end with an elongated removable cap, the end of said barrel and the end of said cap being provided with outwardly extending aligned nipples, a high pressure cylinder having one end secured in said cap nipple and the other end secured in the nipple of said barrel. said high pressure cylinder having a discharge port adjacent the closed end of said cap and an inlet port adjacent the open end of said barrel, an annular piston slidably mounted in said cap between said ports and having. a flange adapted, when said piston is in one position, to close said inlet port, said piston being provided with an elongated follower adapted to extendlinto'saidbarrel, a spring confined in said-barrel for contacting with said follower and for urging said piston toward said discharge port, a discharge conduit connected with said cap nipple for conducting lubricant from said compressor, means at the free end of said discharge conduit for making a sealed connection with said fitting, said means including a valve adapted to be opened when said sealed connection is established and closed when said sealed connection is broken, a plunger slidably mounted in said high pressure cylinder and having one end extending outwardly through the nipple on the end of said barrel, means carried by said barrel for making a detachable connection with said shaft in such manner as to bring the outer end of said plunger into contact with said cam, and a spring for holding the outer end of said plunger in contact with said cam.

2. The combination with a mechanism comprising a shaft, a cam on said shaft and a bearing, of means for supplying lubricant to said bearing, comprising a fitting secured to said bearing, a compressor having a barrel provided at one end with an elongated removable cap, the end of said barrel and the end of said cap being provided with ontwardly extending aligned nipples, a high pressure cylinder having one end secured in said cap nipple, said high pressure cylinder having a discharge port adjacent the closed end of said cap and an inlet port adjacent the open end of said barrel, an annular piston. slidably mounted in said cap between said ports and having a flange adapted, when said piston is in one position, to close said inlet port, said piston being provided with a follower, a spring confined in said barrel for contacting with said follower and for urging said piston toward said discharge port, a discharge conduit connected with said cap nipple for conducting lubricant from said compressor, means at the free end of said discharge conduit for making a sealed connection with said fitting, a plunger slidably mounted in said high pressure cylinder and having one end extending outwardly through the nipple on the end of said barrel, means carried by said barrel for making a detachable connection with said shaft in such manner as to bring the outer end of said plunger into Contact with said cam. and a spring for holding the outer end of said plunger in contact with said cam.

3. The combination with a mechanism comprising a shaft, a cam on said shaft and a bearing, of means for supplying lubricant to said bearing, comprising a fitting secured to said bearing, a compressor having a barrel provided at one end with an elongated removable cap, a high pressure cylinder having one end secured to said cap, said high pressure cylinder having a discharge port adjacent the closed end of said cap and an inlet port adjacent the open end of s aid barrel` an annular piston slidably mounted in said cap between said ports and having a flange adapted, when said piston is in one position, to close said inlet port, said piston being provided with a follower, a spring confined in said barrel forcontacting with said follwer and for urging said piston toward said discharge port, a discharge conduit connected with said cap for conducting lubricant from said compressor, means at the free end of said discharge conduit for making a sealed connection with said fitting, a plunger slidably mounted in said high pressure cylinder and having one end extending outwardly through the end of said barrel, means carried by said barrel for making a detachable connection with said shaft in such manner as to bring the outer end of said plunger into contact with said cam, and a spring for holding the outer end of said plunger in contact with said cam.

4. The combination with a mechanism comprising a moving element and a bearing, of means for supplying lubricant to said bearing, comprising a fitting secured to said bearing, a compressor having a barrel provided at one end with an elongated removable cap, a high pressure c vlinder having one end secured to said cap, said high pressure cylinder having a discharge port adjacent the closed end of said cap and an inlet port adjacent the open end of said barrel, an annular piston slidably mounted in said cap between said ports and having a flange adapted, when said piston is in one position, to close said inlet port, said piston heilig provided with a follower, a spring confined in said barrel for contactin with said follower and for urging sai piston toward said discharge port, a discharge conduit connected with said cap for conducting lubricant from said compressor, means at the free end of said discharge conduit for making a sealed connection with said fitting, a plunger slidably mounted in said high pressure cylinder and having one end extending outwardly through the end of said barrel, means carried by said barrel for making a detachable connection with a portion of said machine so as to hold the outer end of said plunger in operative relation to said moving element.

5. The combination with a mechanism comprising a movin element and a bearing, of means for supp ying .lubricant to said bearing, comprising a compressor having a barrel provided at one end with a removable cap, a high pressure cylinder having one end secured to said cap, said high pressure cylinder having a discharge port adjacent the closed end of said cap and an inlet port adjacent the open end of said barrel, a piston slidably mounted in said cap, said piston being provided with a follower, a spring confined in said barrel for contacting with said follower and for urging said piston toward saiddischarge port, a discharge conduit connected with said cap for conducting lubricant from said compressor, means at the free end of said discharge conduit for making a sealed connection with said bearing, a plunger slidably mounted in said high pressure cylinder having one end extending outwardly through the end of said barrel, means carried by said barrel for making a detachable connection with a portion of said mechanism so `as to bring the outer end of said plunger into operative relation with said moving element.

6. The combination with a mechanism comprising a moving element and a bearing, of means for supplying lubricant to said bearing, comprising a compressor having a barrel, a high pressure cylinder secured to said barrel, said high pressure cylinder having a discharge port and an inlet port, an annular piston slidably mounted between said ports, a spring confined in said barrel for urging said piston toward said discharge port, a discharge conduit connected with said barrel for conducting lubricant therefrom, means at the free en'd of said discharge conduit for making a sealed connection with said bearing, a plunger slidably mounted in said high pressure cylinder having one end extending outwardly through one end of said barrel to be brought into operative relation with said moving element.

7. A lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, pump means associated therewith for creating a supply of lubricant under pressure, a discharge conduit having a coupling adapted to form a lubricant tight seal with the lubricant receiving nipple, and means carried by said reservoir for making a detachable connection with power driven means for actuating said pump.

8. Lubricating apparatus comprising a lubricant reservoir, pump means associated therewith, and means carried by said reservoir for maintaining said pump means in operative relation with power driven means for placing part of the lubricant in said reservoir under high pressure.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 20th day of July, 1923.

EARL F. PIERCE. 

